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<section article="ged" article_name="Education" number="5-309" title_number="5" title_name="Financing" subtitle_number="3" subtitle_name="State Aid for School Construction">
  <level label="a">
    <text>It is the intent of the General Assembly that the Department and the Public School Construction Program encourage local education agencies to reuse recently used school designs, when educationally appropriate and cost effective over the useful life of the project, within each county and across local school system boundaries.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="b">
    <level label="1">
      <text>The Interagency Commission on School Construction shall develop and provide incentives for local education agencies to use prototype school designs.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>The incentives to use prototype school designs may include expedited State review of projects.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="c">
    <level label="1">
      <text>In this subsection, “net–zero” means that the total amount of energy used by a building on an annual basis is equal to or less than the amount of renewable energy created on the site.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>The Interagency Commission shall establish incentives for:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>The construction of net–zero school buildings; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>The use of energy efficient or other preferred materials in public school construction.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="d">
    <text>The incentives established under subsections (b) and (c) of this section shall be supplemental to and are not intended to take the place of funding that otherwise would be appropriated to local education agencies for school construction.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="e">
    <text>Before the Interagency Commission may provide any incentives established in accordance with subsection (b) or (c) of this section, the Interagency Commission shall:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>Notify the budget committees of the General Assembly in writing of the proposed incentives; and</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>Allow the budget committees 30 days to review and comment on the proposed incentives.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
</section>
